Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova have made it difficult to come up with a ranking of the top 25 players at the 2022 men's Final Four.
It turns out that all four blue bloods play really short rotations. That was true even before we learned that, sadly, Villanova's Justin Moore will miss the Final Four because of a torn Achilles. Moore's regrettable absence shrinks the pool of players further still.
As a result, pulling together 25 names is a challenge. Nevertheless, we've done our level best, and we'll even get this exercise rolling with some learned forecasting on the 2022 Most Outstanding Player race. Who will take home this coveted honor?
The first answer there is simply, "a member of the national championship team." Every year since 1984, the MOP has been on the team that wins it all.
Your MOPs in the regionals were Paolo Banchero, Armando Bacot, Remy Martin and Jermaine Samuels. They are all prime candidates for the same honor at the Final Four, certainly. The same might be said of no-brainer possibilities Ochai Agbaji and Collin Gillespie, the reigning Big 12 and Big East players of the year, respectively. Nor would it be shocking to see Caleb Love take home this particular honor.
Finally, here are three additional names to watch in this respect: Brady Manek, Jeremy Roach and Mark Williams. Why? Read on.
One reminder: Top 25 headquarters wishes for you to tell all your friends with itchy social media-posting fingers that this is a ranking of performance in the tiny sample called the 2022 NCAA men's basketball tournament. It is not a mock draft.
Here are the top 25 players in the NCAA tournament so far:
1. Remy Martin, Kansas Jayhawks
What's this? A reserve reigning atop the rankings as the best player at the Final Four? Believe it. First off, Martin is a "reserve" in roughly the same fashion that Chet Holmgren committed a "foul" on his fifth whistle in the Sweet 16. Martin watches the opening tip while comfortably seated and then comes in and averages 25 minutes in the tournament.
If he were to win most outstanding player honors in New Orleans, one can imagine Martin's acceptance speech being brief and analytically unimpeachable. "I hit my shots," he would say, before striding off winningly into a sea of confetti. Martin is personally accounting for 28% of the KU tournament attempts that occur while he's on the floor, and he's connecting on 59% of his 2s and 42% of his 3s.
2. Mark Williams, Duke Blue Devils
This MOP acceptance speech could be almost as short as Martin's! "I made 80% of my tournament 2s," Williams will say, "and I was the only Final Four starter who blocked shots." True in every respect so far. Future anthropologists will puzzle over the relative lack of attention paid to Williams as a member of a team that occasionally attracts some measure of attention.
3. Brady Manek, North Carolina Tar Heels
All hail the Final Four's top performer among volume scorers in tournament true shooting percentage. Actually, Manek nearly wins this title outright over Williams, who attempts far fewer shots. The UNC super senior's 16 made 3s in the tournament are tops among players in New Orleans.
4. Jermaine Samuels, Villanova Wildcats
Samuels has been excellent in each of the three competitive games Villanova has played in the tournament. The 6-foot-7 senior was a problem on the interior for Michigan, for example, to the tune of 22 points on just one made 3. Samuels has also served an instrumental role in the Wildcats' new and effective "be like Houston" initiative on the offensive glass.
5. Paolo Banchero, Duke Blue Devils
The voters knew what they were doing when they awarded Banchero most outstanding player honors at the West Regional. The soon-to-be lottery pick shoulders the heaviest load in the highly efficient Duke offense, hits an occasional 3, crashes the defensive boards and rivals Wendell Moore Jr. and Jeremy Roach for "Blue Devil most likely to record an assist" honors in the tournament.
6. Ochai Agbaji, Kansas Jayhawks
Agbaji's 12 points during KU's second-half explosion against Miami nearly equaled the 15 that the Hurricanes managed as a team over that same span. Bill Self's featured scorer has offset some lukewarm perimeter shooting in the tournament by recording eight steals in 243 personal defensive possessions.
7. Caleb Love, North Carolina Tar Heels
Looking at tournament games only, Love and teammate Manek are the two most productive 3-point shooters at the Final Four. Love's 30-point effort against UCLA sustained the Tar Heels on a night when the Bruins had the lead for much of the contest.
8. Jeremy Roach, Duke Blue Devils
Texas Tech likely entered its Sweet 16 game against Duke with a scouting report that showed Roach as the third or fourth priority. The sophomore promptly converted seven of his 10 attempts inside the arc against the vaunted Red Raiders' interior defense. In four games, Roach has connected on 59% of his 2s.
9. Collin Gillespie, Villanova Wildcats
Gillespie has been on the floor for 218 tournament possessions, mostly with the ball in his hands, and in that time he has committed just four turnovers. While this next part probably goes without saying, let it nevertheless be known that over that same span, the senior has gone 12-of-12 at the line.
10. Armando Bacot, North Carolina Tar Heels
For those who wondered what it might look like if Saint Peter's went up against Bacot, now we know: 20 points, 22 rebounds. To be fair, UCLA couldn't keep the 6-10 junior off the glass, either. Bacot pulled down eight offensive boards each against the Bruins and Peacocks.
11. AJ Griffin, Duke Blue Devils
Duke can afford the luxury of a projected 2022 lottery pick playing a supporting role on offense and pitching in on the glass on D. While Griffin is hitting his corner 3s, he actually scored most of his 18 points (in 26 minutes) against Arkansas inside the arc.
12. Christian Braun, Kansas Jayhawks
Though he has attempted just six 3s in the last three games, Braun has been a jack-of-all-trades for KU in its occasional moments of tournament need. The junior posted an 11-10 double-double against Providence and recorded all four of his assists after the intermission in the regional final against Miami.
13. Wendell Moore Jr., Duke Blue Devils
Few players on this list have been more consistent during the tournament than Mike Krzyzewski's junior. In each win, Moore has scored effectively inside the arc and chipped in with three or four assists. His 9-of-10 performance at the line helped Duke survive Michigan State's challenge in the round of 32.
14. R.J. Davis, North Carolina Tar Heels
Those glittering stats recorded by Manek and Love don't just happen. Someone has to feed them the ball in the right spots, and that someone is Davis. No one in the Final Four has recorded more tournament assists in sheer number (24) or in tempo-free terms.
15. Eric Dixon, Villanova Wildcats
Dixon has been outstanding at rebounding his teammates' misses all season long, and he has continued that good work in the field of 68. The 6-8 sophomore picked up five offensive rebounds apiece in games against Ohio State and Houston while contributing 13 points against the Buckeyes.
16. David McCormack, Kansas Jayhawks
Compared to the season as a whole, McCormack has seen his tournament workload on offense decrease a bit even as his minutes have remained steady. He had his best outing against Miami, converting 6-of-7 tries inside the arc and scoring 15 points.
17. Leaky Black, North Carolina Tar Heels
With Black in the starting lineup, Hubert Davis can put an agile 6-8 veteran on an opposing scorer. His role has become more indelibly defined over the past two seasons, a trend that has continued in the tournament. Black has accounted for just 6.1% of UNC's shot attempts during his minutes over the last four outings.
18. Jalen Wilson, Kansas Jayhawks
Even as he was scoring just five points on nine shots from the field, Wilson still hauled in 11 rebounds against Miami. That second part was no accident. Wilson is indeed the Final Four's best tournament defensive rebounder not named Armando Bacot.
19. Caleb Daniels, Villanova Wildcats
He may come off the bench for Jay Wright, but Daniels has averaged nearly 35 minutes in the tournament to this point. He has a green light on the perimeter and has made 29% of his 3s in the tournament thus far. This Final Four will be a homecoming for the Tulane transfer and New Orleans native.
20. Dajuan Harris Jr., Kansas Jayhawks
All season long Harris has maintained one of the highest assist rates in the KU rotation. He still holds this distinction in tournament play (11 assists in 93 minutes) even as his playing time has diminished somewhat.
21. Brandon Slater, Villanova Wildcats
The Wildcats' grind-it-out defense draws a fair portion of its edge from Slater. In true Villanova fashion, however, the senior has also gone 3-of-3 at the line in the last four games.
22. Trevor Keels, Duke Blue Devils
Keels lost his starting spot after Duke was defeated by Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament title game. He had a good game as a reserve against Michigan State but has scored just nine points on 12 shots in the last two outings.
23. Mitch Lightfoot, Kansas Jayhawks
While Lightfoot has played just 48 tournament minutes, the four blocks in a cameo appearance against Providence were undeniably impressive.
24. Dontrez Styles, North Carolina Tar Heels
When Manek was ejected and Love fouled out against Baylor, Styles acquitted himself well and put up nine points on seven shots.
25. Theo John, Duke Blue Devils
John gives Williams an occasional breather and is a strong rim defender in his own right. At age 23 he is also, to the day, five years older than Griffin.